The swaddling of infants is a well-known technique that has been used extensively in the past for a multitude of reasons. According to various health care specialists, the use of swaddling blankets, to implement the technique of swaddling, is quite beneficial to the infant for a variety of reasons. For example, swaddling blankets protect the infant from the surrounding environment, particularly in connection with ambient temperatures, that is, the swaddling blanket is a beneficial means for maintaining the infant in a warm yet comfortable environment. In addition, swaddling blankets permit caregivers to easily handle and carry an infant, as well as to help soothe the infant and to maintain the infant comfortable, quiet, and calm. Furthermore, swaddling blankets facilitate the needed sleeping of the infants, particularly on their backs, which significantly reduces their vulnerability to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Still further, the use of swaddling blankets are surmised to effectively simulate the pre-birth womb environment where the infant effectively experiences an environment of warmth, safety, security, and general well-being.
Numerous swaddling blankets are of course known and are exemplified by means of U.S. Pat. No. 7,181,789 which issued to Gatten on Feb. 27, 2007, U.S. Pat. No. 7,076,819 which issued of Trani et al. on Jul. 18, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,783 which issued to Gatten on May 16, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,674 which issued to Blackburn on Aug. 16, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,566 which issued to Gatten on Mar. 22, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,924 which issued to Sims on Jan. 11, 2005, U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,390 which issued to Berger on Dec. 16, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,340 which issued to Gibson on Nov. 4, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,165 which issued to Morgillo on Dec. 31, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,397 which issued to Kliegl et al. on Jan. 29, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,261 which issued to Hay et al. on Sep. 14, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,946 which issued to McEntire et al. on Jul. 21, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,094 which issued to Ruefer on Mar. 3, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,257 which issued to Albertieri on Dec. 2, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,250 which issued to Troncone et al. on Dec. 25, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,065 which issued to Hoover on Nov. 11, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,407 which issued to Key on Nov. 26, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 2,227,751 which issued to Idelman on Jan. 7, 1941, U.S. Pat. No. 1,584,853 which issued to Dern on May 18, 1926, U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,419 which issued to Perl on May 4, 1926, United States Patent Application Publication 2007/0157392 which issued to Ragen on Jul. 12, 2007, and U.S. Design Pat. D513,357 which issued to Allard on Jan. 3, 2006.
To be effective, it is known that swaddling blankets need to be substantially snug yet not, obviously, so tight as to effectively be suffocating. Thin blankets may provide insufficient insulation to maintain the proper body heat and body temperature for the infant, whereas heavy blankets may in fact cause overheating of the infant. It is also desired, and very important, to adequately support the head and neck regions of the infant, particularly when they are being picked up from a supine position so as to be cradled or held within one's arms, otherwise serious injury to the infant's neck and spine regions may occur. While all of the aforenoted swaddling blankets discloses various designs for their swaddling blankets, means for folding their swaddling blankets in particular modes, means for fastening the various elements or components of the swaddling blankets together, none of the noted prior art discloses a swaddling blanket which can not only provide means for adequately supporting the swaddled infant such that, in particular, the head and neck regions of the infant's body are in fact assuredly supported so as not to impart any potential injury thereto, but in addition, to also exhibit the other necessary characteristics of the swaddling blanket, such as, for example, general protection and snugness, and particularly warmth of the infant. This is particularly critical in the case of, for example, premature babies.
One of the biggest challenges facing a premature baby is that of warmth. Warmth is essential to premature babies because it helps fight off infection especially considering the fact that premature babies effectively have underdeveloped immune systems. In addition, warmth permits premature babies to use energy more efficiently which, in the case of premature babies, permits them to use energy for need development. A baby that is not warm enough will tend to shiver which uses a lot of energy which effectively depletes their energy levels, or considered from a different point of view, such energy could otherwise be used for development. It is known, for example, that when babies are being naturally developed as a result of being within the womb during the last weeks of pregnancy, that is the time when babies normally develop their protective layer of body fat, however, as a result of being born premature, they obviously do not have that time to develop their normal level of body fat. Accordingly, they do not have a sufficient layer of body fat to normally maintain their own body temperature. This is why a baby, born before it has achieved its substantially full term of pregnancy, is placed within an incubator so as to effectively simulate the mother's womb in terms of warmth and isolation from germs.
It is also known that skin-to-skin contact is extremely important to premature babies in order to promote brain development as well as for soothing purposes. In order to provide premature babies with such needed skin-to-skin contact, nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) must first wrap the baby in numerous blanket layers in order to maintain their body temperature before, for example, giving the baby to its mother or father. However, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the various blankets securely wrapped about the baby, or to enable one to properly support the baby while the baby is being picked up, transferred from, for example, one of the NICU nurses to one of the parents, and subsequently held by one of the parents.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved swaddling blanket wherein, in addition to the normal functions of a swaddling blanket, the swaddling blanket needs to be provided with a multitude of blanket layers for not only supporting the swaddled infant such that, in particular, the head and neck regions of the infant's body are in fact adequately supported, but in addition, the requisite amount of warmth is provided to the infant, particularly in the case of premature babies.